The ability to control chemical reactions to efficiently and selectively produce the desired products has vastly improved over the past decades, with increasingly sophisticated techniques now available to dictate the outcome of these reactions. While much progress has been made, much more is needed to realize a perfect reactor, which would allow for full control of chemical transformations at the molecular level. In the October AIChE Journal Perspective article, “Practical Challenges in Energy-Based Control of Molecular Transformations in Chemical Reactors,” Andrzej Stankiewicz, Izabela Szydłowska Franssen, Daniel Irimia, and Georgios Stefanidis of Delft Univ. of Technology expand on this topic of molecular control in chemical reactors.

The Chemical Reactivity Hazards CD is a self-paced teaching tool intended to teach people how to recognize and manage reactive chemical hazards. It provides an introduction to the topic and many online links to additional resources. The CD has three main objectives: Introduce reactive chemical...

To ensure a practical, efficient and economically viable process, first consider how a successful catalytic reaction system would work, then focus on making a catalyst with the desired characteristics.

David Glasser, David Milne, David Glasser, Diane Hildebrandt and Brendon Hausberger

Use this technique to analyze reactor/reaction systems for which dependable kinetic data are available, or to quickly find the operating characterisitics needed for the maximum selectivity of a reactant.

Catalysis is central to the chemical industry, as it is directly or involved in the production of almost all useful chemical products. In this book the authors, present the definitive account of industrial catalytic processes. Throughout Fundamentals of Industrial Catalytic Processes the...

In silicocatalyst optimization is the ultimate application of computers in catalysis. This article provides an overview of the basic concepts of predictive modeling and describes how this technique can be used in catalyst and reaction design.

Explore how mixing parameters impact the crystallization process and recommend ways to improve the likelihood of successful scaleup. The concepts of nucleation and growth, types of mixing, design considerations, agitator parameters and scaleup...

Most chemical engineering curricula do not adequately address mixing as it is commonly practiced in the chemical process industries. This article attempts to fill in the gaps by explaining flow patterns, mixing techniques, and the turbulent,...